Agenda item

For Committee Members to scrutinise performance matters within the Department.

1.     To accept the report and note the comments

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for Children and Supporting Families. 

The Cabinet Member reported that she was satisfied with the work of the Department as a whole. It was confirmed that positive progress was being made in relation to the Department's two main projects, namely the Autism Plan and the Plan for developing a residential provision for looked after children in small group homes.

The positive impact of the Autism Plan was mentioned and reference was made to some of the risks facing the Plan, in particular, the funding of the Plan and the waiting list.

The development of the residential provision was mentioned, with progress having been made by bringing homes into operation and other homes about to become operational, subject to registration by Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW).

It was noted that there had been a significant increase in demand for these services, and additional pressure on staff as a result. Pride was expressed that additional funding had been attracted through bids, which would enable the Department to strengthen the workforce and services provided, and offer better support for the children.

It was highlighted that the Department was working with the Education Department to respond to the recommendations of the Our Bravery Brought Justice report, and it was acknowledged that additional funding had been earmarked to assist with this work.

A joint inspection was carried out by Care Inspectorate Wales and Estyn in November last year, which focused on safeguarding. It was explained that positive work had been achieved but that some areas needed attention; it was noted that work was now underway to respond to these findings.

It was asked whether there was a reason behind the increase in the number of referrals. In response, it was highlighted that that was challenging to answer because these referrals were made from various different places, such as the Police, and Education or Health agencies. It was explained that this increase came about despite premature intervention efforts, where possible. The challenge of a lack of timely referral by other agencies was mentioned which meant that preventative opportunities were missed, and therefore that many of those children who reached the Department went into care. 

Mention was made of the Department's failure to find a setting to offer residential provision for looked after children in small group homes in the south of the county, and it was asked whether there were plans to continue looking for a suitable setting in the same area. It was confirmed that such provision was needed in Meirionnydd, but at the moment, no suitable setting had been found. This was expanded on, stating that it had proved challenging to find a suitable setting that met the requirements of CIW in the area. It was added that a small percentage of the children who went into residential care were from that area, but at times having a distance between residential care and the home address was beneficial. It was intended to continue the search for a suitable setting, proposing that the search should be moved to north Meirionnydd. It was noted that grant schedules were a barrier to the construction of a suitable house, as grant money had to be spent within a certain timeframe.

The growing demand for the work of the Autism Plan was acknowledged, with concerns about its future in the wake of financial uncertainty. It was noted that a letter had been written to the Welsh Government in an attempt to secure funding, but it was confirmed that the Department was looking at other ways of financing it should this funding not be secured. It was explained that developing this service was essential.

Confirming that the recruitment challenges facing the county were also evident nationally, it was noted that Gwynedd was in a good place compared to other counties.

A discussion ensued on how it was intended to improve the relationship between the Children's Department and the Education Department, recognising that open conversations needed to be held to discuss the best way forward. This was elaborated upon, noting that a member of the Education Safeguarding and Well-being Team regularly attended meetings of the Children's Department Management Team, to ensure that there was an understanding between the departments about priorities and responsibilities. In addition, it was noted that a role was being developed that would bridge the two departments.

Information was requested in relation to the difficulties in finding suitable accommodation for those aged 16+. Finding suitable accommodation was declared to be a challenge, as the number of cases was very high. The joint assessment with the Housing Department when a 16/17-year-old presented as homeless was identified as one of the biggest challenges, with high demand and a lack of placement options for this age. It was revealed that there were agreements with GISDA and North Wales Housing to provide accommodation, which improved provision. It was added that a joint analysis would be carried out with the Housing Department, to see how it was possible to work through the challenges to develop better options.

DECISION

1.    To accept the report and note the observations.